After a deep dive on Creighton, some themes that I saw.
I expect the game to be a full-blown track meet with both teams trying to play in the 80s. NC State guards Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner should be flying up and down the court and shooting jumpers all over the place. If they go in, NC State can get to the 80s. I’m thinking a combined 50 points from those two, which means they are both on. I compare it to the first half of the Wake Forest game when it was 52-46 and both teams were flying up and down. Playing in the altitude of Denver will make that interesting.
I have given way too much thought on the D.J. Burns of NC State vs. Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, plus the backup center. Burns will get his, I don’t doubt it. Kalkbrenner on defense is a good shot-blocker and he’s a legit 6-11, 7-0 type. He’s also slender and a little bit awkward with his foot quickness. He’s not as smooth as Clemson’s P.J. Hall or as strong as Boston College’s Quinten Post for instance. He also isn’t the outside threat those two are, but can sink a jumper if completely ignored, but only hit five 3-pointers on the season. Burns will do his video game version of bumping down, bumping down and get to his spots.
The whole dynamic of Burns and Kalkbrenner is will Burns get tired playing in the altitude of Denver or pick up some silly fouls. Will Kalkbrenner get into foul trouble guarding Burns. Offensively, Kalkbrenner is a solid 15.4 points per game and there is nothing fluky about how he does it. He has a nice touch and is sneaky around the paint. He’s a good college player, but his body needs to fill out over the next few years. Kalkbrenner also doesn’t try shots he can’t make, hence 71.4 percent from the field.
The backup center is 6-10 Fredrick King from the Bahamas, who was going to Louisville until Chris Mack got fired. Burns should feast on him.
The other dynamic I saw after watching Creighton play Arizona, UConn and Villanova, is they don’t double the post. Arizona center Oumar Ballo went for 30 points and 13 rebounds in the win in just 30 minutes of action against Creighton. They never tried to double him. UConn has a big center, who can step out to the three-point line, and they didn’t double him. I watched Arizona because that is arguably the best team they played this season, and Ballo is a low-post force at 7-0, 260 (though probably closer to 6-9, 6-10).
I watched the UConn game because I wanted to see how they would handle a slower-paced game where every possession mattered, and Villanova because it was their last win in the Big East Tournament before Sean Miller and Xavier drubbed them pretty good.
Creighton’s going to put four three-point shooters around Kalkbrenner, though I am OK if athletic small-ball four Arthur Kaluma is firing away (32.2 percent). If he hits three-pointers and plays well, not much you can do but tip your hat to him. I see NC State’s Jack Clark on him, and maybe with the up-and-down finesse style of game, Ernest Ross could fly around in this one.
South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman is an interesting player. He’s kind of a hybrid guy who can do some shooting guard things, but also some small-ball power forward skills. He’s a streaky shooter, but will fire from deep, deep. Scheierman’s best trait might be his passing. He can make some slick passes. Casey Morsell will likely be guarding him.
Sophomore shooting guard Trey Alexander is a talented player. He could be a NBA player down the road. His three-point shooting percentage makes it look he’s a pure shooter (44 percent), but he’s more of a tough shot maker who can be streaky at times. He’s a good barometer for their offense because Kalkbrenner is always consistent. Simply put, Smith vs. Alexander will be a fun matchup, but Smith has more a more explosive driving game.
Point guard Ryan Nembhard is solid but Joiner needs to out-play him, it’s that simple. Does that mean Joiner gets 20-25 points and Nembhard gets 12-15 points? It can’t be a deal where they are equal. Nembhard is also a sophomore and he’ll be really tough in the future, but I just expect a sixth-year senior to get the edge Friday.
The bench is weak for Creighton. I mentioned King, and the other three that play are wing Francisco Farabello, guard Shereef Mitchell and small forward Mason Miller. Now, Miller is a lefty with a beautiful stroke and he can be dangerous. He’s the son of former NBA player Mike Miller, who is now an agent, representing Paolo Banchero and NC State freshman Isaiah Miranda. Mason Miller is 38.5 percent on three-pointers and again, it’s a pretty jumper for a freshman.
Another key point, Creighton doesn’t foul much. They want to play fast and finesse and aren’t a bruising squad. It also means they don’t get to the line a lot either. Creighton made 12.7 free throws per game and opponents made 9.1 free throws a contest. That is where Burns getting the Creighton bigs in could be key, if that can happen.
I expect the game to be a full-blown track meet with both teams trying to play in the 80s. NC State guards Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner should be flying up and down the court and shooting jumpers all over the place. If they go in, NC State can get to the 80s. I’m thinking a combined 50 points from those two, which means they are both on. I compare it to the first half of the Wake Forest game when it was 52-46 and both teams were flying up and down. Playing in the altitude of Denver will make that interesting.
I have given way too much thought on the D.J. Burns of NC State vs. Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, plus the backup center. Burns will get his, I don’t doubt it. Kalkbrenner on defense is a good shot-blocker and he’s a legit 6-11, 7-0 type. He’s also slender and a little bit awkward with his foot quickness. He’s not as smooth as Clemson’s P.J. Hall or as strong as Boston College’s Quinten Post for instance. He also isn’t the outside threat those two are, but can sink a jumper if completely ignored, but only hit five 3-pointers on the season. Burns will do his video game version of bumping down, bumping down and get to his spots.
The whole dynamic of Burns and Kalkbrenner is will Burns get tired playing in the altitude of Denver or pick up some silly fouls. Will Kalkbrenner get into foul trouble guarding Burns. Offensively, Kalkbrenner is a solid 15.4 points per game and there is nothing fluky about how he does it. He has a nice touch and is sneaky around the paint. He’s a good college player, but his body needs to fill out over the next few years. Kalkbrenner also doesn’t try shots he can’t make, hence 71.4 percent from the field.
The backup center is 6-10 Fredrick King from the Bahamas, who was going to Louisville until Chris Mack got fired. Burns should feast on him.
The other dynamic I saw after watching Creighton play Arizona, UConn and Villanova, is they don’t double the post. Arizona center Oumar Ballo went for 30 points and 13 rebounds in the win in just 30 minutes of action against Creighton. They never tried to double him. UConn has a big center, who can step out to the three-point line, and they didn’t double him. I watched Arizona because that is arguably the best team they played this season, and Ballo is a low-post force at 7-0, 260 (though probably closer to 6-9, 6-10).
I watched the UConn game because I wanted to see how they would handle a slower-paced game where every possession mattered, and Villanova because it was their last win in the Big East Tournament before Sean Miller and Xavier drubbed them pretty good.
Creighton’s going to put four three-point shooters around Kalkbrenner, though I am OK if athletic small-ball four Arthur Kaluma is firing away (32.2 percent). If he hits three-pointers and plays well, not much you can do but tip your hat to him. I see NC State’s Jack Clark on him, and maybe with the up-and-down finesse style of game, Ernest Ross could fly around in this one.
South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman is an interesting player. He’s kind of a hybrid guy who can do some shooting guard things, but also some small-ball power forward skills. He’s a streaky shooter, but will fire from deep, deep. Scheierman’s best trait might be his passing. He can make some slick passes. Casey Morsell will likely be guarding him.
Sophomore shooting guard Trey Alexander is a talented player. He could be a NBA player down the road. His three-point shooting percentage makes it look he’s a pure shooter (44 percent), but he’s more of a tough shot maker who can be streaky at times. He’s a good barometer for their offense because Kalkbrenner is always consistent. Simply put, Smith vs. Alexander will be a fun matchup, but Smith has more a more explosive driving game.
Point guard Ryan Nembhard is solid but Joiner needs to out-play him, it’s that simple. Does that mean Joiner gets 20-25 points and Nembhard gets 12-15 points? It can’t be a deal where they are equal. Nembhard is also a sophomore and he’ll be really tough in the future, but I just expect a sixth-year senior to get the edge Friday.
The bench is weak for Creighton. I mentioned King, and the other three that play are wing Francisco Farabello, guard Shereef Mitchell and small forward Mason Miller. Now, Miller is a lefty with a beautiful stroke and he can be dangerous. He’s the son of former NBA player Mike Miller, who is now an agent, representing Paolo Banchero and NC State freshman Isaiah Miranda. Mason Miller is 38.5 percent on three-pointers and again, it’s a pretty jumper for a freshman.
Another key point, Creighton doesn’t foul much. They want to play fast and finesse and aren’t a bruising squad. It also means they don’t get to the line a lot either. Creighton made 12.7 free throws per game and opponents made 9.1 free throws a contest. That is where Burns getting the Creighton bigs in could be key, if that can happen.
